RIP WALLETS: THE PS5 PRO IS HERE AND IT'S ABSOLUTELY UNHINGED

THE HARDWARE FLEX OF THE CENTURY

Listen up, casuals. If you aren't ready to sacrifice your first-born for 8K output and PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, then just keep scrolling CNET. Sony just dropped the PS5 Pro on 7 November 2024, and it is a literal monster. We are talking a 2TB SSD—doubling the puny storage of the base model—and a boosted GPU using AMD RDNA 3 architecture CNBC. If you want to see The Last of Us Part II Remastered or Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 with 'Pro Enhanced' fidelity, this is the only way to play. Anything else is basically playing on a calculator at this point.

THE PRICE TAG FROM BEYOND

Hold onto your mechanical keyboards because the price just took a massive hike. While the rumors teased $600, reality hit us with a $749.99 MSRP in the US following recent tariff-induced price jumps GamesRadar+. And don't think that high price gets you the full kit. Oh no, Sony is gatekeeping the basics: the Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive is a separate $79 purchase, and if you want the privilege of standing your console vertically, that is another $30 for the stand PlayStation Direct. By the time you’re fully kitted out, you’ve spent enough to buy a small island or a decent second-hand car.

IS IT ACTUALLY WORTH THE HYPE?

Here is the cold, hard truth: unless you are rocking a massive display or a high-end monitor, you might not even notice the intricate differences in graphical advancements CNET. It is a gorgeous piece of kit for the tech-obsessed, but for the average person with a standard 50-inch TV, it's a niche luxury GamesRadar+. Still, with Wi-Fi 7 support and faster rendering, it is undeniably the peak of console performance. If you have the funds to stay at the cutting edge and want to flex those 60fps frames at maximum fidelity, then welcome to the elite club. The rest of you can stay in the 4K trenches with your 'Slim' models.